6 brands that brilliantly differentiated from the competition, and how you can, too

There has never been a bigger moment in history when brand differentiation was more important. The channels we relied on for growth are saturated and increasingly less effective. And with AI changing how people search and make buying decisions, the race to stand out has never been more brutal.

The brands at the top of the food chain are those we associate with a specific problem. For example, if I want running shoes, I go to Hoka. For skincare, I’m a Byoma girlie, and if I’m craving apple juice, Innocent cures my thirst.

But how do these brands differentiate in a crowded market space? What makes them so memorable?

In this article, I’ll share my favorite examples of companies smashing brand differentiation and give you actionable tips on how to stand out from the crowd.

Table of Contents

What is brand differentiation?
Brand Differentiation Examples: 6 Powerful Ways to Differentiate Your Brand
The 8 Steps to Brand Differentiation

What is brand differentiation?

Brand differentiation is how you carve out mental real estate in a market where everyone‘s screaming for attention. It’s not just your logo, your tagline, or your mission statement. It’s the specific reason someone chooses you over a competitor when both products could technically solve their problem.

Brand Differentiation Examples: 6 Powerful Ways to Differentiate Your Brand

1. Revolut: Build a product people can’t shut up about.

Differentiator: Product-led growth that turns customers into advocates

In a previous Moz Whiteboard Friday, I said the most important way to build brand authority is to have a great product. There’s no workaround for this. A great product keeps people in-app and coming back. That’s why I love Revolut.

When I moved to the UK in 2022 and needed a banking solution, all my friends pointed me to the app. Revolut offered multicurrency accounts backed by frictionless banking, and I’d never seen anything like it.

It feels like an everyday app that combines banking, investment, and features you’d only get on a typical credit card.

A great product feels two steps ahead of you. It anticipates your needs, offers features before you ask, and gets you from A to Z with ease.

Here’s how Revolut differentiates from other neobanks:

Frictionless UX.
Intuitive budgeting tools.
Multicurrency accounts.
A plethora of investment options you’d usually find on BlackRock or Vanguard.
Cashback offers and purchase protection similar to a credit card.
All-in-one wealth management app disrupting traditional banking and investment sectors.

The Branding Differentiation Lesson

No amount of advertising or marketing spend can save a bad product. Invest in your core experience. Build features that meet the standard, and go further with future-forward innovation that keeps people in the app.